


Headline News

by warlockdetective



Category: A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket
Genre: 2020 sugar bowl tournament, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, honestly mostly just hurt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-16
Updated: 2020-03-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:48:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23165743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/warlockdetective/pseuds/warlockdetective
Summary: Jerome Squalor comes to Lemony Snicket's door with news neither of them wished to have learned.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	Headline News

**Author's Note:**

> This was one of the prompts I filled for asoue-network's 2020 Sugar Bowl Tournament, the prompt being related to [Jerome and Lemony between the events of The Ersatz Elevator and The Penultimate Peril](https://quietworlds.dreamwidth.org/692.html?thread=7604#cmt7604). This was an interesting exercise of sorts, and I'll have to look into this dynamic again at some point in the future.  
> Honest feedback is appreciated.

A knock comes to his door out of the blue one early morning. Initially, this only comes as a bitter sort of shock; he's used to having to run when his enemies find him, and he figures this is just another instant of it. It isn't until he hears the voice of who's behind the door that a proper sort of shock takes a hold of him.

"Hello? Is--" The voice of Jerome Squalor falters somewhat behind the door. It's strange, he thinks, that the man is at his door; the two were fair, but they certainly weren't close. "Oh, who am I kidding, this is probably a bad time. Should I even be here--?" There's a tired sort of hesitation to his voice as he speaks to himself, and he seems to startle greatly when Lemony opens the door.

"Mr. Squalor?" Lemony had intended to simply greet the man, but his tone gives away how much confusion he feels seeing him now.

"I'm--" Jerome clears his throat and pauses. There's a drained sort of look to him, but not from exhaustion. There's a newspaper hastily tucked in his suit pocket, the suit itself seems a little ruffled, and is hair is a little unkempt; a surprise to Lemony simply because Jerome was one of those who liked to look "neat" in a sense. Before Lemony can speak, Jerome continues, "Is this a bad time? I shouldn't have come unannounced, but--"

"It's something I'm used to at this point," Lemony tries to lightly joke, but when he catches just how still Jerome seems, he decides to put it to a halt. After a pause, he steps aside so Jerome can walk in. As he closes the door, he frankly asks, "You don't try to contact me unless something's urgent, what's--"

But before he can finish, Jerome is shaking, tears threatening to leave him. There's an almost scared sort of shock in his eyes when his gaze meets Lemony's. "You haven't heard?" he speaks in a hush.

"Haven't heard..?" Panic seizes him then, and he finds his eyes darting to the newspaper for just a second. "Jerome, The Daily Punctilio's been spreading misinformation for years now--"

"And that's the problem," Jerome cuts him off, an almost furious sort of sadness to his tone as he speaks. "It's not the 'what' that's wrong, it's.." He starts to unfold the paper, quickly, frantically as he speaks, "It's the 'who', it's--it--" He's crying now as he hands Lemony the paper. "COUNT OLAF DEAD!" is present before him in sickeningly bold font, but then he looks further down.

Further down is an image that was taken by the reporters that day. The picture is of the man's body laying on a gurney.  
His brother's body.  
..No, _no no no no no_.....

He keeps looking, frantic, desperate for some sort of code, but the papers haven't been printing codes in years now. The man has his brother's eyes, but they're cold and vacant; everything he never saw them to be, and the only thing that keeps him from denying it is the indisputable color they have.

He's shaking as the paper falls from his grasp. He tries to speak, but a strangled sob is all that can leave him as Jerome brings him into an embrace and lets himself weep with him. For a while, it's all that needs to be done, because there's nothing they can even try to say.

In the back of both men's minds sits a dreadful thought when they try to speak of Jacques, and it's a thought that doesn't leave them even with the passing of time: "I failed you."


End file.
